I don't like... Rush.
This ought to be capital sin around here, uh?

I HATE the band.I think Edge most certainly brought innovative/simple guitar ideas esp. with using delay etc. I think Henry Rollins Sums up U2 Brilliantly....something about ugly fat women and a rhythm section that is just........

Rain


I don't like... Rush.
This ought to be capital sin around here, uh?

I hate Rush.
 
As for U2, i'm a big fan.  They're pop stars.  Rock music is usually 4 or 5 chords and a catchy riff, and they've got that down really well.  They write catchy melodies and record them.
Their live shows show that they work hard to entertain.  Live Aid might have been their biggest accomplishment.  Where most of my musical idols gave lackluster (or even embarassing) performances, U2 was noted as one of the standouts.  And they continue to put on great live shows that compile music for the masses with what seems like an honest interest in engaging their audiences.  Bono's onstage banter is priceless.  You know that he tells the same jokes every night, but it seems playful enough to work anyway.
As for The Edge's guitar skills, i don't want to compare him to SRV, Hendrix, or anyone else.  As someone who seems quite capable of playing exactly what he wants, comparing skills between artists is like apples to oranges.  And if you doubt his playing, YouTube Bullet The Blue Sky from the ZooTV tour:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6w2fNOEzR9Y.  I wouldn't change a note!

Wow - a fellow musician AND Canadian who doesn't like Rush. You don't see that everyday. :)

All well considered, even though I do feel that things tend to be blown out of proportion, I do appreciate the fact that U2 dealt w/ the cards they were given - they were pushed at the top and they kept on going and evolving. 

As for the Edge, well... He orchestrates himself w/ delay and effects. Of course it's all gimmicks, but then again, many tend to believe that a good song is often something you should be able to pull w/ nothing but an acoustic guitar. 

Many Beatles songs regarded as classics would have been rather boring if not for George Martin's orchestration and arrangement skills. The Edge relies on effects to breath life into his tracks. I don't think he ever claimed to be the next Jimi Hendrix, and I don't think he should be regarded as a genius. But as long as the song works...

Also, The Edge doesn't take himself too seriously.  In "It Might Get Loud," he laughs about the riff for Elevation.  It's just 2 chords changed blandly, and it's the wah and delay that give it the identity.  Somewhere else, he mentioned the guitar lines at the end of With Or Without You.  The song practically begged for a Gilmour-esque soaring guitar solo, but he went the opposite route playing a really basic 2-string countermelody.   Knowing when to restrain the impulse to constantly blast at 100% is a skill too.  Every great musician also knew when to push with just enough force.

And of course they're blown out of proportion.  Every successful pop and rock musician is.  They're earning millions of dollars, but songwriting and performing.  They're not exactly saving lives, teaching our children, or fighting our wars...

bobguitkillerleft

I think Henry Rollins Sums up U2 Brilliantly....something about ugly fat women and a rhythm section that is just........

I don't understand, how does that sum up U2?

Beagle

julibee


I take serious exception to that.  

I am a child of the 80s, after all.

I absolutely hate Led Zeppelin.

Oh yeah????  Well I don't like Dylan!  So there! 

Nyah-Nyah-Nyah-Nyah-NYAH!  

Nanny Nanny Boo Boo Nah....

So there... 

julibee

Beagle

julibee


I take serious exception to that.  

I am a child of the 80s, after all.

I absolutely hate Led Zeppelin.

Oh yeah????  Well I don't like Dylan!  So there! 

Nyah-Nyah-Nyah-Nyah-NYAH!  

 
but you, however, Jules, are my favorite!!! 

Slugbaby


.  They're not exactly saving lives, teaching our children, ...

Try telling that to Bono!